Railway car construction



G. G. GILPIN RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. '21.A 19:57

' Patent'edNovtgZ, 1939 I PATENT OFFICE namwar cAncoNs'rnUc'rloN l Guin G. Gupm'mversiae, nl., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, a-corporation of Delaware Application August 21, 1

est, serial No. 160,209

s claims (ol. vs- 404) This invention relates to' the side' plate construction of a railway freight car. Heretofore, such side plate construction has usually included a rolled structural steel shape which is objec- 6 tionable because of its weight and cost. 'I'he object of the present invention is to devise a new and improved sheet metal side plate that will be lighter and cheaper than the old structural steel side plate and will accomplish all of' the l0 functions thereof. I'he invention consists inthe composite sheet metal side plate and in the construction, combination and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like sym bols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through the upper portion of a railway freight car provided with a side plate construction embodying my invention;

` Fig. 2 is a similarsection on an enlarged scale through the side plate construction at one side of the car; and

Figs. 3, 4, 5y and 6 are views similar to Fig. 2

showing four modied forms of side plate construction. A Y l In the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown' in connection with the railway freight carcomprising the usual truss side walls, each of which includes side posts connected at their upper ends by-a side -plate that forms the top 'chord of1 thel truss, anda metal roof 2 that spans the car from side plate to side plate with its ends supported on and secured thereto.

In the-construction shown in Figs.V .1 and-2',

the side posts of each 'side wall of the car are connected at their upper ends by a side plate comprising two rolled metal sheets 3 and 4 that are secured to the opposite sides f said side posts 40 and are brought together and riveted at a dis tance thereabove. The inner sheet tis a plain sheet that is preferably secured vby rivets -5 to y the inner faces of the side posts and extend straight there'above. -The louter sheetl is secured along its lower margin preferably by rivets 6 to the outer faces f theside posts and has a portion 'l'that inclines inwardly and upwardlyabove s'aid` posts to the inner sheet 3, a vertically disposed portion 8 that is rsecured preferably by rivets 9 tothe upper marginal portion ofsaid inner plate, and anunwardly extending upper.4 marginal flange III which} supports the metal roof 2.. As shown in the drawlngrthe metal roof has a depending eavesange -|I thatoverhangs the upper portionstof the two side plate sheets and 'is rigidly secured thereto by the securing rivets 9 therefor.

The modified side plate construction shown in Fig.l 3 is similar to that shown in Fig.2 except that the`web Ia which connects the depending 5 outer marginal portion of the outer sheet 4a to the inwardly offset vertically disposed -portion 8a thereof is disposed horizontally instead of being disposed at an inclination.

In, the modiiied construction illustrated in 10 Fig. 4, both the inner and outer sheets 3b and 4b ofthe side plate converge upwardly and are A riveted or otherwise rigidly secured together just 'below the inwardly extending roof sheet supporting upper marginal flange Illb of the outer l5 sheetlb. l

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 5, the outer sheet 4c is curved upwardly and inwardly over the side posts and the roof sheets have their eaves end portions curved to fit such 20 curvature. The innerv sheet 3c iscurved uplwardly and outwardly over the side posts and Acomprises a ilat sheet orplate whose lower marso gin issecured atwise to the inner faces of the side posts and whose upper edge abuts against the inner side of the overhanglng inner marginal portion of the outer sheet and is secured thereto by a continuous weld I3. 35 The hereinbefore4 described composite sheet Y metal side plate has several advantages. It may .be made lighter and cheaper for equal strength than the roller-structural shapesheretofore used for side plates. The outer sheets of the side 40 plate may be made of galvanized or V'other metal that is resistant to rusting and corrosion; and the metal sheets may bereadily shaped to obtain the height and clearance desired at the eaves ofthecar. b

What I claim is;

l1. In a railwaycar construction including a side wall truss having side wall posts, a side plate attached to said posts to form the top chord of said truss, and aroof secured to and supported 50 by said side plate; said side plate comprising two lightweight metal sheetsextending substantially the entire length of said truss and secured along their lower margins to the respective inner andouter sides of said posts. at. least theouter 55 sheet converging toward and joining the other to form said top chord as a hollow beam, and one of said sheets having at least a portion thereof shaped in conformity with the undersurface of said roof and supporting said roof vertically above said side plate.

2. A side plate construction for a railway car having a sidewall truss including posts, a roof, and a side plate forming the top chord of said truss and supporting said roof, said side plate comprising separate lightweight metal sheets extending substantially the Yentire length of said truss and having their lower margins secured to the respective inner and outer sides of said posts, at least the outer of said sheets converging tof- Ward and being secured to the other sheet and to said roof vertically above said posts, and one of said sheets having its upper marginal portion extending beyond the upper marginal portion of the other sheet, and being Ashaped in conformf ity with the undersurface of said roof for the further support thereof.

3. A railway car construction comprising side wall trusses with hollow side plates lconstituting the top ,chords of the trusses and a roof having its eaves vertically above and supported on said' wardly above said side wall posts and secured together', the outer of said sheets extending inwardly beyond the upper edge of the other of said sheets to support said roof.

4. A railway oar constructionfcomprislng side wall trusses with hollow side pates constituting the top chords of the trusses and a roof having 4 its eaves vertically above and supported on said` side plates, each side plate comprising a pair of lightweight inner and outer metal sheets extending substantially the entire length the respective truss and secured along their lower margins to the respective inner and outer sides of side wall posts, the sheets in each side plate being up'- wardly convergent and being secured to each other and to said roof substantially at the point of convergence vertically above said posts,

5. A railway car construction comprising a side wall truss with a hollow side plate constituting the top chord bf the truss and a roof, each sid'e plate consisting of a lightweight plain metal inner sheet extending substantially the entire lengthV of said truss and secured along its lower margin to the inner side of side wall posts and a coextensive lightweight metal outer sheet se- 'cured along its lower margin to the outer side of side wall posts and having` a portion converging inwardly above .said side wall posts and toward and secured ilatwise to the upper marginal portion of said plain inner sheet and a portion that is bent inwardly over the top of said plainl inner plate to'support said roof, and means for securing said roof to said upper marginal por- 'tion of said inner sheet.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

